In certain types of printing, a film supported by a carrier is transferred to a substrate (e.g., paper, cardboard, plastic films etc.) by application of pressure and/or heat in a desired pattern. One example of this is the foil used in hot or cold foil blocking wherein the film on the foil is metallic or metallic-looking. The latter term is used herein to refer to materials, and any particles thereof, having a metal-like reflectivity.
A problem in using a conventional film coated carrier, be it a sheet, a web or a ribbon, is that the process is wasteful, and therefore expensive. This is because, at the time that it has to be discarded, only a small proportion of the film coating will have been used (e.g., for printing) and most of the film coating will remain on the carrier.